my homework & tests November 17, 2009

My homework is never like the usual sort. For the first month or so, my homeowrk consisted of going to the supermarket and the baking supply shop to check prices. I would wander the aisles with my notebook, jotting down numbers and quantities as I went. It felt like a big joke.

The second month my homework consisted of breaking down recipes in accordance to cost. I would intentionally rifle through my cookbooks and pick the recipe with the longest ingredients list. Then all those price listings were out to work with the aid of a calculator. I would calculate precisely, down to the last eighth of a teaspoon how much the recipe would cost to make. Then it would be divided per cookie or slice. Only then would I then know how much ut would cost to the consumer at a considerable markup.

My first term in pastry was a lot of theory. This second term has been anything but! My exams have become actual recipes redone for a grade.

Yesterday we concluded our class on bread. After pounds of yeast and what has felt like tons of flour, we get to move on. It does not mean that I won’t still be perpetually covered in flour. We started a class on cakes today, in fact.

This is the recipe I did for my final. It was my favorite roll recipe that we made in the course. You can do it like the egg bread roll recipe I shared last week but I will try to simplify the process for the home baker.

Soft rolls
– 12 1/2 oz water
- 1/2 tablespoon yeast
- 1 1/2 pounds bread flour
-2 teaspoons salt
- 2oz sugar
- 1oz powdered milk
- 1oz shortening
- 1oz butter

1- Proof warm water with yeast with a few pinches of the sugar.

2- Place all ingredients in mixer with bread hook. Cut butter and shortening into smaller pieces and turn mixer onto low speed to blend.

3- Add water and allow to mix until dough forms into a ball on the hook and comes cleanly off the sides of the bowl. It should feel soft and look smooth and white.

4- set on floured baking sheet and cover loosely until has doubled in size. Approximately 1 1/2 hours.

5- Collect dough and give a knead to remove air bubbles. Portion into 2oz balls. Makes approximately 19- 20 balls.

6- allow rolls to rise again for at least 30min. Brush with an egg wash.

7- Bake at 400F for 20-25 min or until a rich golden color. Check bottoms of rolls to ensure that it has colored. Because of the eggwash, tops will brown faster and to a deeper shade.

Enjoy! <div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 650px"

i think the look sort of like eggs

Happy Birthday to the bombshell aunt! November 11, 2009

Today has been so very busy for me.  I have been up and on the go since I woke up today at 9am.  It was a day off from school but it was not a day for rest.  In fact, I have been baking and getting things ready for today since yesterday evening when I made the chocolate ganache and Dorie’s Devil’s Food White-Out Cake… well, at least the cake portion of it.

This would be my blouse after all that chocolate.

Maybe I’m too used to having an apron on for class.

After making macaroni salad, sewing, making cupcakes, the frosting, assembling the cake and then going and making dinner, its understandable that I’m quite tired.  I hurt but it all came out beautifully!  

 

Devil's Food White-Out Cake w/ Chocolate Ganache & Cupcakes

Certain anatomically correct cakes notwithstanding, I like to think I can make some very lovely cakes.  I made 2-  8in layers and iced the inner layer and around the sides.  I made the edges a little raised so I have a little well to place the pool of chocolate ganache.  It was SO yummy.  There are no words to describe the yumminess!

 

A yummy slice with ice cream

 

 I just loved how the ganache would ooze down when the cake was sliced.

I used the leftover Icing from the cake but used my own vanilla cupcake recipe.  Since I love how light and fluffy the cake comes out, I will share the recipe with y’all!  

Yellow Cupcakes

(makes approximately 2 dozen cupcakes)

- 11 1/2 tablespoons butter

- 1 1/4 cup sugar

- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 4 egg yolks

- 1 1/4 cup flour

- 1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

- 3/4 cup milk

- 4 egg whites

- pinch of salt

1. Cream butter with sugar.
2. Separate eggs and whip whites with the pinch of salt until they form soft peaks.
3. Add yolks to the butter, blend in with vanilla.
4. Alternate additions of milk with the flour.
5. Fold in egg whites to the mixture. 
6. Fill cupcake molds to just 2/3 full.
7. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 min until tops are golden and the centers spring back to touch. 

Enjoy!

a day in the life of this pastry student November 9, 2009

My days start at 6am. I wake up after having hit the snooze button at least 2 or 3 times. I get dressed and wear my chef uniform. No need for makeup and all I do is twist my hair up into a low bun we are out the door no later than 6:40am or whatever time I have finished packing the lunch bag for myself and my mother.

We then arrive to school sometime around 7:30am or whatever time we have finished getting the 20oz cup of café mocha from Walgreens (don’t judge, but the closest Starbucks is 2 hours away). I then make some instant oatmeal in the microwave at my mother’s office. The secret is to nuke it in increments of 60, 25, 20, 15 & 10sec. After that, believe me when I tell you that I take my time slowly eating my oatmeal. I am often late to class even though all I have to do is go down a flight of stairs to reach my classroom. But at least I make it there in time to slip on my skill cap and tie on my bistro length apron before the real work starts.

Over the span of 5 hours we plow through theoretical material as well as get our hands dirty. Today, for example, we made bread by hand and decided to make crepes. I was not very impressed with the latter so I won’t share the recipe but the stack of crepes we made will be shown below. They tasted yummy, by the way, when we ate them with whipped cream.

Meanwhile, this bread dough was just amazing! The rolls came out so light and soft. I recommend everyone make these! The average yield of this recipe is about 17-2ounce rolls.

So let’s see if I can summarize the whole bread making process for you. Maybe in the next day or two I might write out a lesson in the basic steps in bread making, so that no matter what bread recipe you come across, you will always know how to form the perfect dough.

Egg bread rolls
– 9 1/2 oz water
- 3/4 oz Yeast
- 1lb 5oz bread flour
- 2t salt
-2 oz sugar
- 1oz milk
- 1oz butter
- 1oz shortening
- 1 large egg

1- proof yeast in water with a few pinches of the sugar.

2- make a well of the dry ingredients and cream the days with the sugar with the palm of your hand. Blend all wet ingredients in center.

3- slowly incorporate flower by working fingers around the well until the consistency thickens and you can incorporate flour. You can take your time with this step as it helps for the flour to become hydratef before kneading.

4- knead the dough for 5-10min until it comes together in a smooth ball.

5- place on a floured baking sheet, flour too and loosely place plastic wrap over. Allow to rise until double in size, approximately 1hr.

6- punch down and round the dough, place back on floured baking sheet, with loose covering of plastic wrap and allow to rise again for approximately 30min.

7- divide into 2oz portions or approximately 16 balls. Fold each portion until smooth then round by making counter clockwise circles under cupped palm of hand.

8- allow balls to rise again for 20-30min or until double in size.

9- brush with an eggwash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds as desired.

10- Bake at 400 F for 20min or until bottoms are a golden brown.

Enjoy!

the perfect cornbread November 5, 2009

For the longest time I have been hunting for the perfect recipe for cornbread. I had tried quite a few and was never satisfied with the end product. To me, the perfect cornbread was one that was sweet, light and fluffy. I don’t like it to be dense or filled with chunks of real corn. I suppose I wanted a cornbread recipe not from a box that was almost like a fluffy delicious cake.

But no matter what recipe I tried, the result was either grainy or too dense. I still had one recipe as my go-to even though it didn’t produce the airy light product I wanted.

Then suddenly, about 2 weeks ago I decided to make the recipe with a sudden adjustment. After having taken a class on bread development and gluten and the perfect bread crumb, I felt there was something instinctual. This time it would be perfect.

Want to know what the secret ingredient was?

Butter!

Yes, butter.

The secret to life is always butter.

Just a single ounce more of butter made all the difference. Who knew?

The reason I believe is that the layers of the fat from the butter better coat the proteins in the flour. When the cornbread mix is baked, the fat melts and air is released to fluff it up.

I also discovered how just one tablespoon more of sugar to this recipe makes for a very crunchy crust. The sugar caramelizes on the crust and adds a nice crisp. I prefer it without that crunch but my mother prefers it with.

So I urge everyone to try this recipe and let me know how it goes.

To have the perfect cornbread, I baked it in my trusty cast iron skillet.

Ivy’s Prefect Cornbread @ 400 F

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 oz (6 tblspn) butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1- In a large bowl, place all dry ingredients and whisk together until it looks evenly distributed. Leave a small well in center.
2- Slice butter and place in skillet. Place over med-low heat and allow to melt. Swirl bitter around in the skillet to cost the surface and sides.
3- Pour milk, eggs and butter into the well of the dry ingredients.
4- Whisk together, starting in small circles in center and making larger circles until incorporated. Once fully blended, mixture will look thick and butter will have been absorbed.
5- Pour mixture into skillet and bake immediately at 400 F for 20-25min or until top is golden and middle springs back to touch.
6- Scrape edges with a spatula, working it under the cornbread to loosen it from the pan after 5min. Turn out on to a plate or serve straight from skillet. Best when eaten nice and warm!

Flan! for the win! July 9, 2009

You can never go wrong with flan.  Some people, like Tania (@lovebig) mentioned that they have loved it and never made it.  Now this I consider quite a crime.  Anything that translates to caramel custard is OK by my books.  So, to help entice her to add it to her extensive baking list, I’m including two flan recipes.  They are both for flan de queso, but one is with condensed milk (which she has an abundance of) and the other is with evaporated milk (which is the one we usually make).  A difference between the recipes is the end consistency.  The one with evaporated milk is a lighter sort of custard in texture and the one with condensed milk has a weightier feel to it.  (That likely made no sense, but if you went and made both, you’d TOTALLY see what I’m trying to convey) In fact, I can usually tell when a recipe was made with either one.  I did this to my gay hubby’s amusement one weekend when he brought some flan back after his weekend in Adjuntas and a little was saved for me to try.  I pegged it after a spoonful or two the difference the recipe I usually have because his mother uses sweetened condensed milk.  

(I was supposed to post this up last night after work but I was trying to dig through my random picture archive to see if I had a picture of flan somewhere. My search came up empty.  I did try though!)

So I urge you to give either one a try, you won’t be sorry!

Both recipes use a 9″ X 2″ round pan and you will use the bath-Marie method when baking.  So save yourself the trouble beforehand and be sure you have tested out which pan fits which and will allow you to pour some water to reach 2/3 up on the mold without making a steamy mess when the time comes!  This way you can premeasure the water (by pouring some water into your baking mold then pouring enough on the outside to desired height, then remove the mold set for the flan) and have it ready.  Also, I’m writing the recipe with the 1cup sugar to be used to caramelize into the pan but you can skip this step by just pouring a sort of thick caramel (like dulce de leche) to coat the bottom.  You just place the pan over the burner on low and let it just ooze over to coat. 

The recipes can be halved with much success but I recommend baking them in smaller ramakins if you need smaller portions most.  You won’t be sorry that you have so much flan!  You can NEVER have too much flan, if you ask me.

 

Flan de Queso con leche condensada

1cup sugar- for mold

8oz Cream Cheese

1 1/4cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

1tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2tsp. fresh lemon/lime zest

5 large eggs

1/2 milk

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

- To caramalize mold: Place mold onto low burner and place sugar in a mound in center of the mold.  Allow the sugar to heat and turn slowly to caramel.  Once proper golden consistency, spin mold to coat bottom.  CAUTION: caramel is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch and while you may use a spoon to help coat the bottom, by NO means try to lick the spoon.  If the caramel gets on anything, soak in water immediately.

- Preheat oven to 325F and place the container for the bath-Marie with the amount of water you have tested beforehand that will reach 2/3 up your baking mold on the outside. 

- Cut cream cheese into 6 pieces and place into blender container.  Add the water, salt, vanilla and lemon zest.  Blend on low for 1/2 minute.

- Add eggs and blend again for 1/2 minute.

- Add the condensed mil and regular milk, blending again for 1/2 minute. 

- Pour contents into the prepared caramel baking mold.  Place into bath-Marie (if you are nervous about the water, you can leave the pouring of boiling water until after you’ve placed the pans in the oven) and bake for 45minutes.

- Raise temp to 350F and bake for about 10-15min more or until it passes the clean toothpick test.  

- Allow to rest two hours before placing in fridge to chill.  This is an important step!  This is the step that allows the caramel to release from the mold.

- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.  Turn over onto a plate when ready to serve.  Enjoy!

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Flan de Queso con leche evaporada 

1cup sugar- for mold

4oz cream cheese

1cup sugar- for flan

1/4tsp. salt

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (13oz) evaporated milk

1/2cup water

1tsp. fresh lemon/lime zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

- To caramalize mold: Place mold onto low burner and place sugar in a mound in center of the mold.  Allow the sugar to heat and turn slowly to caramel.  Once proper golden consistency, spin mold to coat bottom.  CAUTION: caramel is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch and while you may use a spoon to help coat the bottom, by NO means try to lick the spoon.  If the caramel gets on anything, soak in water immediately.

- Preheat oven to 350F and place the container for the bath-Marie with the amount of water you have tested beforehand that will reach 2/3 up your baking mold on the outside.

- Cream the sugar and cream cheese and salt in a mixer until soft and smooth.

- Lightly beat eggs and mix with the milks and water.  Mix well and strain over cheese and sugar mixture.

- Add vanilla and lemon zest.  Blend together and pour into mold.  

- Bake in bath-Marie at 350F for 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick test comes clean.  After first 45minutes of baking, place an aluminum foil tent over it to avoid forming an upper crust, bake for the rest of time covered.

- Allow to rest two hours before placing in fridge to chill.  This is an important step!  This is the step that allows the caramel to release from the mold.

- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.  Turn over onto a plate (it MUST be turned over to allow caramel to be poured over the custard) when ready to serve.  

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can never go wrong with flan.  Some people, like Tania (@lovebig) mentioned that they have loved it and never made it.  Now this I consider quite a 

crime.  Anything that translates to caramel custard is OK by my books.  So, to help entice her to add it to her extensive baking list, I’m including two flan 

recipes.  They are both for flan de queso, but one is with condensed milk (which she has an abundance of) and the other is with evaporated milk (which is the 

one we usually make).  A difference between the recipes is the end consistency.  The one with evaporated milk is a lighter sort of custard in texture and the 

one with condensed milk has a weightier feel to it.  (That likely made no sense, but if you went and made both, you’d TOTALLY see what I’m trying to convey)  

In fact, I can usually tell when a recipe was made with either one.  I did this to my gay hubby’s amusement one weekend when he brought some flan back after 

his weekend in Adjuntas and a little was saved for me to try.  I pegged it after a spoonful or two the difference the recipe I usually have because his 

mother uses sweetened condensed milk.  

(I was supposed to post this up last night after work but I was trying to dig through my random picture archive to see if I had a picture of flan somewhere.  

My search came up empty.  I did try though!)

So I urge you to give either one a try, you won’t be sorry!

Both recipes use a 9″ X 2″ round pan and you will use the bath-Marie method when baking.  So save yourself the trouble beforehand and be sure you have tested 

out which pan fits which and will allow you to pour some water to reach 2/3 up on the mold without making a steamy mess when the time comes!  This way you 

can premeasure the water (by pouring some water into your baking mold then pouring enough on the outside to desired height, then remove the mold set for the 

flan) and have it ready.  Also, I’m writing the recipe with the 1cup sugar to be used to caramelize into the pan but you can skip this step by just pouring a 

sort of thick caramel (like dulce de leche) to coat the bottom.  You just place the pan over the burner on low and let it just ooze over to coat.  

The recipes can be halved with much success but I reccommend baking them in smaller ramakins if you need smaller portions most.  You won’t be sorry that you 

have so much flan!  You can NEVER have too much flan, if you ask me.

Flan de Queso con leche condensada

1cup sugar- for mold

8oz Cream Cheese

1 1/4cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

1tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2tsp. fresh lemon/lime zest

5 large eggs

1/2 milk

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

- To caramalize mold: Place mold onto low burner and place sugar in a mound in center of the mold.  Allow the sugar to heat and turn slowly to caramel.  Once 

proper golden consistency, spin mold to coat bottom.  CAUTION: caramel is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch and while you may use a spoon to help coat the bottom, 

by NO means try to lick the spoon.  If the caramel gets on anything, soak in water immediately.

- Preheat oven to 325F and place the container for the bath-Marie with the amount of water you have tested beforehand that will reach 2/3 up your baking mold 

on the outside. 

- Cut cream cheese into 6 pieces and place into blender container.  Add the water, salt, vanilla and lemon zest.  Blend on low for 1/2 minute.

- Add eggs and blend again for 1/2 minute.

- Add the condensed mil and regular milk, blending again for 1/2 minute. 

- Pour contents into the prepared caramel baking mold.  Place into bath-Marie (if you are nervous about the water, you can leave the pouring of boiling water 

until after you’ve placed the pans in the oven) and bake for 45minutes.

- Raise temp to 350F and bake for about 10-15min more or until it passes the clean toothpick test.  

- Allow to rest two hours before placing in fridge to chill.  This is an important step!  This is the step that allows the caramel to release from the mold.

- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.  Turn over onto a plate when ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Flan de Queso con leche evaporada 

1cup sugar- for mold

4oz cream cheese

1cup sugar- for flan

1/4tsp. salt

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (13oz) evaporated milk

1/2cup water

1tsp. fresh lemon/lime zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

- To caramalize mold: Place mold onto low burner and place sugar in a mound in center of the mold.  Allow the sugar to heat and turn slowly to caramel.  Once 

proper golden consistency, spin mold to coat bottom.  CAUTION: caramel is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch and while you may use a spoon to help coat the bottom, 

by NO means try to lick the spoon.  If the caramel gets on anything, soak in water immediately.

- Preheat oven to 350F and place the container for the bath-Marie with the amount of water you have tested beforehand that will reach 2/3 up your baking mold 

on the outside.

- Cream the sugar and cream cheese and salt in a mixer until soft and smooth.

- Lightly beat eggs and mix with the milks and water.  Mix well and strain over cheese and sugar mixture.

- Add vanilla and lemon zest.  Blend together and pour into mold.  

- Bake in bath-Marie at 350F for 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick test comes clean.  After first 45minutes of baking, place an aluminum foil tent over it to 

avoid forming an upper crust, bake for the rest of time covered.

- Allow to rest two hours before placing in fridge to chill.  This is an important step!  This is the step that allows the caramel to release from the mold.

- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.  Turn over onto a plate (it MUST be turned over to allow caramel to be poured over the custard) when ready to serve.  

Enjoy!

  

You can never go wrong with flan.  Some people, like Tania (@lovebig) mentioned that they have loved it and never made it.  Now this I consider quite a 

crime.  Anything that translates to caramel custard is OK by my books.  So, to help entice her to add it to her extensive baking list, I’m including two flan 

recipes.  They are both for flan de queso, but one is with condensed milk (which she has an abundance of) and the other is with evaporated milk (which is the 

one we usually make).  A difference between the recipes is the end consistency.  The one with evaporated milk is a lighter sort of custard in texture and the 

one with condensed milk has a weightier feel to it.  (That likely made no sense, but if you went and made both, you’d TOTALLY see what I’m trying to convey)  

In fact, I can usually tell when a recipe was made with either one.  I did this to my gay hubby’s amusement one weekend when he brought some flan back after 

his weekend in Adjuntas and a little was saved for me to try.  I pegged it after a spoonful or two the difference the recipe I usually have because his 

mother uses sweetened condensed milk.  

(I was supposed to post this up last night after work but I was trying to dig through my random picture archive to see if I had a picture of flan somewhere.  

My search came up empty.  I did try though!)

So I urge you to give either one a try, you won’t be sorry!

Both recipes use a 9″ X 2″ round pan and you will use the bath-Marie method when baking.  So save yourself the trouble beforehand and be sure you have tested 

out which pan fits which and will allow you to pour some water to reach 2/3 up on the mold without making a steamy mess when the time comes!  This way you 

can premeasure the water (by pouring some water into your baking mold then pouring enough on the outside to desired height, then remove the mold set for the 

flan) and have it ready.  Also, I’m writing the recipe with the 1cup sugar to be used to caramelize into the pan but you can skip this step by just pouring a 

sort of thick caramel (like dulce de leche) to coat the bottom.  You just place the pan over the burner on low and let it just ooze over to coat.  

The recipes can be halved with much success but I reccommend baking them in smaller ramakins if you need smaller portions most.  You won’t be sorry that you 

have so much flan!  You can NEVER have too much flan, if you ask me.

Flan de Queso con leche condensada

1cup sugar- for mold

8oz Cream Cheese

1 1/4cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

1tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2tsp. fresh lemon/lime zest

5 large eggs

1/2 milk

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

- To caramalize mold: Place mold onto low burner and place sugar in a mound in center of the mold.  Allow the sugar to heat and turn slowly to caramel.  Once 

proper golden consistency, spin mold to coat bottom.  CAUTION: caramel is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch and while you may use a spoon to help coat the bottom, 

by NO means try to lick the spoon.  If the caramel gets on anything, soak in water immediately.

- Preheat oven to 325F and place the container for the bath-Marie with the amount of water you have tested beforehand that will reach 2/3 up your baking mold 

on the outside. 

- Cut cream cheese into 6 pieces and place into blender container.  Add the water, salt, vanilla and lemon zest.  Blend on low for 1/2 minute.

- Add eggs and blend again for 1/2 minute.

- Add the condensed mil and regular milk, blending again for 1/2 minute. 

- Pour contents into the prepared caramel baking mold.  Place into bath-Marie (if you are nervous about the water, you can leave the pouring of boiling water 

until after you’ve placed the pans in the oven) and bake for 45minutes.

- Raise temp to 350F and bake for about 10-15min more or until it passes the clean toothpick test.  

- Allow to rest two hours before placing in fridge to chill.  This is an important step!  This is the step that allows the caramel to release from the mold.

- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.  Turn over onto a plate when ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Flan de Queso con leche evaporada 

1cup sugar- for mold

4oz cream cheese

1cup sugar- for flan

1/4tsp. salt

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (13oz) evaporated milk

1/2cup water

1tsp. fresh lemon/lime zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

- To caramalize mold: Place mold onto low burner and place sugar in a mound in center of the mold.  Allow the sugar to heat and turn slowly to caramel.  Once 

proper golden consistency, spin mold to coat bottom.  CAUTION: caramel is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch and while you may use a spoon to help coat the bottom, 

by NO means try to lick the spoon.  If the caramel gets on anything, soak in water immediately.

- Preheat oven to 350F and place the container for the bath-Marie with the amount of water you have tested beforehand that will reach 2/3 up your baking mold 

on the outside.

- Cream the sugar and cream cheese and salt in a mixer until soft and smooth.

- Lightly beat eggs and mix with the milks and water.  Mix well and strain over cheese and sugar mixture.

- Add vanilla and lemon zest.  Blend together and pour into mold.  

- Bake in bath-Marie at 350F for 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick test comes clean.  After first 45minutes of baking, place an aluminum foil tent over it to 

avoid forming an upper crust, bake for the rest of time covered.

- Allow to rest two hours before placing in fridge to chill.  This is an important step!  This is the step that allows the caramel to release from the mold.

- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.  Turn over onto a plate (it MUST be turned over to allow caramel to be poured over the custard) when ready to serve.  

Enjoy!

  You can never go wrong with flan.  Some people, like Tania (@lovebig) mentioned that they have loved it and never made it.  Now this I consider quite a 

crime.  Anything that translates to caramel custard is OK by my books.  So, to help entice her to add it to her extensive baking list, I’m including two flan 

recipes.  They are both for flan de queso, but one is with condensed milk (which she has an abundance of) and the other is with evaporated milk (which is the 

one we usually make).  A difference between the recipes is the end consistency.  The one with evaporated milk is a lighter sort of custard in texture and the 

one with condensed milk has a weightier feel to it.  (That likely made no sense, but if you went and made both, you’d TOTALLY see what I’m trying to convey)  

In fact, I can usually tell when a recipe was made with either one.  I did this to my gay hubby’s amusement one weekend when he brought some flan back after 

his weekend in Adjuntas and a little was saved for me to try.  I pegged it after a spoonful or two the difference the recipe I usually have because his 

mother uses sweetened condensed milk.  

(I was supposed to post this up last night after work but I was trying to dig through my random picture archive to see if I had a picture of flan somewhere.  

My search came up empty.  I did try though!)

So I urge you to give either one a try, you won’t be sorry!

Both recipes use a 9″ X 2″ round pan and you will use the bath-Marie method when baking.  So save yourself the trouble beforehand and be sure you have tested 

out which pan fits which and will allow you to pour some water to reach 2/3 up on the mold without making a steamy mess when the time comes!  This way you 

can premeasure the water (by pouring some water into your baking mold then pouring enough on the outside to desired height, then remove the mold set for the 

flan) and have it ready.  Also, I’m writing the recipe with the 1cup sugar to be used to caramelize into the pan but you can skip this step by just pouring a 

sort of thick caramel (like dulce de leche) to coat the bottom.  You just place the pan over the burner on low and let it just ooze over to coat.  

The recipes can be halved with much success but I reccommend baking them in smaller ramakins if you need smaller portions most.  You won’t be sorry that you 

have so much flan!  You can NEVER have too much flan, if you ask me.

Flan de Queso con leche condensada

1cup sugar- for mold

8oz Cream Cheese

1 1/4cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

1tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2tsp. fresh lemon/lime zest

5 large eggs

1/2 milk

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

- To caramalize mold: Place mold onto low burner and place sugar in a mound in center of the mold.  Allow the sugar to heat and turn slowly to caramel.  Once 

proper golden consistency, spin mold to coat bottom.  CAUTION: caramel is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch and while you may use a spoon to help coat the bottom, 

by NO means try to lick the spoon.  If the caramel gets on anything, soak in water immediately.

- Preheat oven to 325F and place the container for the bath-Marie with the amount of water you have tested beforehand that will reach 2/3 up your baking mold 

on the outside. 

- Cut cream cheese into 6 pieces and place into blender container.  Add the water, salt, vanilla and lemon zest.  Blend on low for 1/2 minute.

- Add eggs and blend again for 1/2 minute.

- Add the condensed mil and regular milk, blending again for 1/2 minute. 

- Pour contents into the prepared caramel baking mold.  Place into bath-Marie (if you are nervous about the water, you can leave the pouring of boiling water 

until after you’ve placed the pans in the oven) and bake for 45minutes.

- Raise temp to 350F and bake for about 10-15min more or until it passes the clean toothpick test.  

- Allow to rest two hours before placing in fridge to chill.  This is an important step!  This is the step that allows the caramel to release from the mold.

- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.  Turn over onto a plate when ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Flan de Queso con leche evaporada 

1cup sugar- for mold

4oz cream cheese

1cup sugar- for flan

1/4tsp. salt

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (13oz) evaporated milk

1/2cup water

1tsp. fresh lemon/lime zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

- To caramalize mold: Place mold onto low burner and place sugar in a mound in center of the mold.  Allow the sugar to heat and turn slowly to caramel.  Once 

proper golden consistency, spin mold to coat bottom.  CAUTION: caramel is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch and while you may use a spoon to help coat the bottom, 

by NO means try to lick the spoon.  If the caramel gets on anything, soak in water immediately.

- Preheat oven to 350F and place the container for the bath-Marie with the amount of water you have tested beforehand that will reach 2/3 up your baking mold 

on the outside.

- Cream the sugar and cream cheese and salt in a mixer until soft and smooth.

- Lightly beat eggs and mix with the milks and water.  Mix well and strain over cheese and sugar mixture.

- Add vanilla and lemon zest.  Blend together and pour into mold.  

- Bake in bath-Marie at 350F for 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick test comes clean.  After first 45minutes of baking, place an aluminum foil tent over it to 

avoid forming an upper crust, bake for the rest of time covered.

- Allow to rest two hours before placing in fridge to chill.  This is an important step!  This is the step that allows the caramel to release from the mold.

- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.  Turn over onto a plate (it MUST be turned over to allow caramel to be poured over the custard) when ready to serve.  

Enjoy!

  

Mother’s Day Breakfast May 11, 2008

Every year my aunt and I are the ones who pull together the meals for Mother’s Day. We usually just think about it and on the Friday I travel home, we compare notes and buy whatever ingredients we need. Lately, we’ve unofficially agreed that I’m in charge of breakfast and dessert while she’s in charge of the late lunch/early dinner. This usually has to do with the fact that I need to travel back to my apartment on that day and can’t deal with that meal and packing all at once. I tried it one year and just about lost it. So it’s just best if we both stick to our strengths (even though my aunt is reknowned for her ‘cooking’ which usually involves her phone and some take-out menu, she has mastered a few dishes which are really quite delicious).

As you have seen so far, I spent Friday evening baking the bread to go with my aunt’s meal. Yesterday I spent it on the brioche and cupcakes. I worked all through the night. By the time I was finished it was 7AM and I didn’t wish to sleep through breakfast. So I stayed awake and began breakfast at 8AM. The brioche was already made so I just had to worry about the frittata.

Spinach and ham egg white frittata

Serves 6

• Sautee some diced white onion until transluscent.
• Add about 10oz. defrosted spinach into the pan and mix.
• When spinach is heated, add about 10 slices turkey ham.
• Place mixture into the bottom of a square casserole pan.
• Cover with sharp cheddar cheese, approx. 6 ounces.
• Beat 12 egg whites with a hand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is white and fluffy. It shouldn’t reach soft peak stage.
• Add a large dollop of the egg white mixture to 7 egg yolks which have been lightly beaten. Slowly fold together.
• Add the lightened egg yolk mixture to the egg whites and fold gently together.
• Smooth egg mixture over the rest in the casserole dish,
• Bake at 400F until the top is golden brown and the egg foam has cooked thoroughly, approximately 20-25 minutes.

Final Review: This breakfast was a huge hit with the mother’s and everyone else. It was light and yet very filling. We’re huge fans of spinache, but because my grandmother cannot have anything with high levels of potassium, I actually made a small loaf pan for her with everything but the spinach. It was also very delicious. The bottom layer can be anything you want it to be so don’t be afraid to mix it up. The whites are super fluffy and you needn’t use so many of the yolks. I usually just use enough to show a slight yellow tinge to the mixture.

The funniest moment was when my grandfather took my elegant breakfast and just made it into a sandwich. Got to love the man. He did the same thing for dinner, where he shoved some of the meatballs into his french bread and consumed. I wonder if it’s from him that I get my love for sandwiches.

PS: Check back to last week because I did a backpost about going to karaoke. Don’t want any of you to miss any posts!

How TW saved my cupcakes May 11, 2008

Alright, so maybe she didn’t SAVE them. I sort of saved them myself… but that doesn’t make for a very good title.

As it so happens, for Mother’s day I decided to make red velvet cupcakes. Out of all the cakes I make, I think red velvet is probably the favorite. So I try and make a lot of them. This time I think I may have overdone it.

The thing with my recipe of red velvet is that it doesn’t use cocoa powder (many may argue then that it isn’t really red velvet, but I don’t care! My gradmama can’t have chocolate because of bad kidneys) and I use vegetable oil and a couple teaspoons of vinegar. The latter making quite a lot of bubble when it acts with the baking soda. So when baking, you want to get your batter into the oven as soon as possible or it won’t lift up as it should. And let me tell you that this batter really does rise. I swear, it doubles in volume when baking. And because of the oil, you DEFINITELY do not want it sitting in a cupcake liner… getting it all oily and not looking so great.

So how did TW save my cupcakes? Well.. she gave me cupcake pans which I remembered to bring with me to my hometown, which were sorely needed as this recipe made me churn out a whopping amount of batter for an equivalent of 54 cupcakes!! With these extra pans I was able to bake them all up and not worry about deflate or greasy papers. Thank heavens for that. I’d been making bread for what felt like most of the weekend and just didn’t have the energy to be all too creative when it came to my cakes.

(I have admitted to being a VERY messy baker)

Oh, and the round tin was to use the rest of the batter

since I could only make 48 with the tins

and I still had enough batter for 6 more cupcakes.

I did CB proud, no batter gets left behind!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

• 3 3/4 cups self rising flour
• 2 tsps. baking soda
• 2 tsps. vanilla
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 oil
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 2 tsps. vinegar
• 2 bottles red food dye

1. Mix milk with cream of tartar and set aside.
2. Beat sugar and oil until fluffy. Add eggs and continue to beat to maintain fluffiness to mixture.
3. Add vanilla and baking soda. Blend together.
4. Alternate milk and flour additions.
5. Mix in food dye.
6. Blend in vinegar.
7. Divide into cupcake pans, not filling them more than halfway.
8. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 8oz. package cream cheese
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 lb. confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tsps. meringue powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Mix softened cream cheese and butter until fluffy and creamy.
2. Add vanilla extract.
3. Slowly beat in half of the sugar. Then add the merengue powder. Beat in the rest of the sugar.
4. Cover lightly and chill for at least 2 hours.
5. Frost cupcakes liberally.

Final Review: I accidentally spilled about half a bottle of vanilla extract into my cupcakes. I’d confused the new box of vanilla with the box that had the bottle of red dye. When I realized what was coming out of the bottle was the wrong color, I’d already tipped in about half of the damn bottle. Still, it seems that the cake came out delicious because my family was secretly wolfing down the cupcakes long before they were supposed to be served.

I also admit that I seem to really suck at frosting cupcakes. It’s so shameful to admit since I seem to post and be around so many amazing cupcake frosters! But, I tried!

My mom like them. She thought they looked like flowers.

I got tired and gave up piping frosting about a dozen in (hey! I was frosting cupcakes at 6am after NO sleep). So I switched using the straight icing spatula just to show CB that I could do that funny little swirl she was sobbing mentioning that she couldn’t do.

I’m rotten, arent I?

A weekend of french breads May 10, 2008

As most have you seen time and time again, I mastered the making of french bread with the DB February challenge.  Since then I have to honor my family’s request for it every weekend I go home.  This weekend was no different.  So I spent Friday evening churning out a double recipe for nice petit pains, half plain and half with poppy seeds.  I think I can now do them with my eyes closed and it’s actually almost relaxing.  Who knew I’d be saying that? 

Empowered by one french bread success, and knowing that those little rolls would go well with the Mother’s Day dinner my aunt was making, I needed to come up with something else for Mother’s Day breakfast.  So, at first I went through Dorie’s Baking: From My Home to Yours  looking for the lemon poppy seed muffins.  I was almost sure that those little darling were what I was going to make.  Yet something kept niggling at the back of my mind that it just didn’t feel right.  I already knew I was going to be making a spinah frittata and the muffins just didn’t seem right.  Perhaps if this year I’d decided that fruit salad and soft boiled eggs were to be on the menu, but that wasn’t to be the case. 

Instead I turned to page 48 and opted for this:

Golden Brioche Loaves

2 packets active dry yeast
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 3/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

For The Glaze
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can– this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you’re doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you’ll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You’ll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.
Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.
Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)

Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.
Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

Final Review: I actually had a lot of fun with this recipe.  I even went as far as actually buying unsalted butter to use instead of just substituting it for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (which is a heck of a lot cheaper and what I ALWAYS use when baking).  At first I thought I was doing it all wrong, my mixer never seemed to let the bough pull away from the pan.  Each rise seemed to be on time and I watched in wonder as the bough stopped being battery in the fridge, a progress made inward as it cooled.  Since I didn’t sleep overnight I just let the dough chill for about 6 hours.  Then I did the log rolling and the last bit of rising. 

  I was almost afraid they wouldn’t rise to fill the pan while I waited.  I sort of think, though Dorie never mentioned it, that one should work the dough a little bit before rolling it into logs to warm it up some.  I didn’t and my rising took nearly 4 hours and that’s something considering the early hours of a PR morning are no longer cool.  Still, they eventually did rise, much to my relief, and I got to baking them. 

I probably should have taken them out at 25min and not 30

In the end, they sliced up really nicely.  The crumb was just wonderful but I wasn’t too fond of the taste.  They are meant to be very buttery, but I almost fel like they were too satly.  I don’t know precisely what it was.  Still, I enjoyed the process of making them and I look forward to trying them again and maybe making them into pecan rolls or something. 

 

The “that looks about right” pasta salad April 22, 2008

Most of you already know how I refer to my brand of cooking as college student ingenuity.  I cook with whatever I happen to have on hand, I don’t often have much of a budget to buy anything in accordance to what I hope to make… and anything in my pantry was most likely stolen from my mother’s or grandmother’s at some point.  Baking usually makes me go out and get ingredients.  After all, you can’t fake the carrots in a carrot cake or something like that. 

But when it comes down to cooking dinner, especially since I’m often just cooking for me, I really don’t bother.  I just stare at the food I have and try to let it “speak” to me.  And because of this I usually end up tossing things into the pot and eating it, no matter how odd it may look.  It definitely does not hold up to the beautiful standard a lot of other food bloggers have.  While I do not think any of the other bloggers are actually snooty in anyway, my humble looking bowls just dont measure up.  It’s a good thing I don’t pretend to be in their league. 

Sure, I can pull off delicious and spectacular food.  But like everyone else, that isn’t a daily thing.  I would bet that some people’s daily food looks a lot like mine.  In fact, my almond chicken looked a lot like CB’s cashew chicken and in fact the recipes are very similar.  And very few beside the puptart are willing to admit that their refined palette does not revolve around high snobby sort of food.  

So where does that leave me?

Throwing random things together with pasta, of course!  I should have been born italian.  If I have nothing but pasta on my shelves, I’m still a happy girl.  I cook using just a skillet and a pot full of salted boiling water.  For tonight’s meal I did the following:

• Caramelized sliced onions and minced garlic.  Set it aside in a medium bowl.
• Cooked up chunks of chicken breasts seasoned with just some adobo.  Set aside with the onions.
• On high heat, brown some butter and toss in a can of corn.  Fuly heat until the kernels are beginning to brown and add roasted red peppers until fully heated.
• Boil up elbow macaroni pasta.  Cook and then toss with some olive oil.
• Toss everything together into the bowl.  Add some splashes of balsamic vinagerette salad dressing.
• Right before serving add some cubed cheese.  In my case, I had cheddar on hand.
• Serve and consume with glee.

 

Chicken and salsa fettuccini April 2, 2008

I call it college student cooking ingenuity.

After seeing on Crafty Precious this post on chili mac, I knew I wasn’t alone in sometimes liking my pasta with some chili on top.

My mother finds it strange. 

Since I was all out of pasta sauce and was not in any mood for any sort of concocted cheese sauce, I decided to improvise:

I tend to improvise a lot, don’t I?

To make this fine cuisine, I made about half a pack of fettuccini, boiled it up just right.

Then I sliced up some chicken tenders, letting them cook up on a hot skillet with some olive oil.  Not touching them or turning them for at least 2 minutes.

When turned, I added about 1/3 of the salsa jar.  Then I added a few spoonfuls more until it looked right.

I let the pasta and chicken finish cooking.

Then I drained most of the water from the pasta, added a smidge of olive oil; tossed.

Dumped the chicken together and added a last spoonful of salsa for luck.

Final Review: It was pretty darn tasty.  The salsa had some spice to it that made it just delightful when kicking up the flavor.  I’m sure homemade salsa could be substituted instead of the kind from a jar, but I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand.  I haven’t been cooking much but it’s because I seem not to have much on my shelves.  Oh well, one works with what one has.  I was going to add shredded cheese on top of this, but opted just for some fresh grated parmesan instead.